{"id":7873,"date":"2020-05-08T17:24:08","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T21:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=7873"},"modified":"2021-04-21T11:33:20","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T15:33:20","slug":"personable-content-marketing-human-touch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/personable-content-marketing-human-touch\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Give Your Personalized Marketing Strategy the Human Touch"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Spotify\u2019s daily playlists<\/a>. Netflix\u2019s recommendations.<\/a> Google\u2019s personalized ads<\/a>. It\u2019s 2020, and consumers live in a personalized world. Their data has been mined and parsed and analyzed by their favorite products and services, so that their every experience can be tailored to their specific desires. More than half<\/a> of all marketers say that personalization is one of their top priorities because it can double the efficacy of your calls to action<\/a>, increase email opens<\/a>, and boost revenue<\/a>. So naturally, marketing teams are shifting their focus to the data\u2014mining it for customer trends and optimizing. But what makes personalized content effective isn\u2019t just found in the numbers. It\u2019s about the human touch<\/a>: personable content marketing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting the personal in personalized content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These days, consumers are inundated with content, all of it is competing for their attention in the same channels. The trick is understanding that grabbing someone\u2019s attention isn\u2019t the same as engaging them on a deeper level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to interactions, people tend to focus on what matters. According to a study from the New York Times<\/em>, 68% of people share content<\/a> with others to give them a better sense of who they are and what they care about, while 94% consider how the information they share will be useful to the recipient. In other words, people engage with content that they identify with\u2014it\u2019s an expression of their values and character\u2014in order to build relationships with others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means that marketers need to create content that\u2019s genuinely relevant\u2014it needs to make sense and fit into people\u2019s real lives. In other words, content shouldn\u2019t have mass appeal. It should target specific individuals. But personalized marketing isn\u2019t just about catering your message for your target audience\u2014it\u2019s about shifting your efforts away from the message entirely to focus on the person. It\u2019s not a content game, it\u2019s a context <\/em>game, so you need to make sure you\u2019re getting to the right people at the right time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to do personalization the right way<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that personalized messaging is getting so effective\u201472% of consumers<\/a> engage with it exclusively\u2014it\u2019s reached a point where focusing on any other kind of content may not be worth your time. That might sound extreme, but there\u2019s evidence to show non-personalized content can produce negative reactions. Seventy-four percent<\/a> of customers feel frustrated when websites aren\u2019t personalized. This is a trend that is particularly visible in millennials and younger users, 70% of whom feel frustrated<\/a> when brands send them irrelevant emails. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, there\u2019s some risk to not investing in personalization\u2014but there\u2019s also risk in getting personalization wrong. And marketers are worried about both. Over a quarter of marketers think that there are issues<\/a> with their personalization efforts, including problems with data collection and protection processes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s to be done? Well, let\u2019s start with lower expectations. Yes, personalization is effective, but it\u2019s not the perfect solution to every problem, especially if you don\u2019t have the resources to invest in it right. It is a tool just like any other: It\u2019s best used in tandem with other tactics, for the ultimate goal of gaining customers\u2019 loyalty through personable, genuine interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more you think about personalization as a tactic, rather than as a content marketing strategy<\/a> in and of itself, the easier it becomes to use that tactic in a smart way. Data is only useful when it\u2019s used to treat customers less like statistics, and more like actual people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to give your personalization tactics the human touch:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Base your personas in data: <\/strong>Rather than simply making your user personas based on, well, marketing profiles, why not just look at the data? Start building potential customer bases from the actual customers you already have. This will help you get more granular and specific about audience behavior. Plus, they\u2019re easily updated.
    <\/li>
  2. Start with email: <\/strong>Your email marketing strategy is the easiest place to start personalizing and testing\u2014you can separate your email database by persona, which makes it easier to tailor your content to a specific audience. Here\u2019s a tip: Have an actual person attach their name to the email. If your newsletter appears to be sent by a specific person on your team, it makes the experience feel more personal\u2014a human-to-human interaction.
    <\/li>
  3. Keep your social channels human: <\/strong>You can automate a lot of processes\u2014chatbots, apps, emails, landing pages\u2014but whatever you do, keep your social channels human. You can A\/B test posts, but make sure that you\u2019re still responding to each customer service query with the warmth that only a real person can deliver. 
    <\/li>
  4. Don\u2019t be creepy:<\/strong> There\u2019s a difference between letting a customer or client know that you know them\u2014and then teetering over into surveillance. The thing is, \u201cbeing creepy\u201d isn\u2019t so much an issue of data collection as it is of message. Make sure your content is written in a way that\u2019s authentic and inviting, rather than suggesting that you\u2019re watching your customers every move. If you\u2019re not sure whether or not you\u2019re hitting the right note, you can always test your work before you launch anything.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    There\u2019s no such thing as too personal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Indeed, there\u2019s no limit to the amount of personalization you can achieve in your content. 73% of consumers<\/a> say a business has never communicated with them in a way that felt too personalized. So, the sky\u2019s the limit in terms of experimentation. But personalization will only get you so far. The human touch has to be the foundation<\/a> of any successful content marketing strategy\u2014especially as automation becomes trendier and easier for businesses to implement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    According to 84% of customers<\/a>, the most important aspect of winning their business is to treat them like a person, not a number. And personalization can help you do that\u2014when it\u2019s approached as a part of a strategy that emphasizes authentic experiences and communication. As long as you remember that the data reflects actual human behavior, that will help you to keep your messages personable, genuine, and more successful in the long run. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Personalized content is effective, but it’s not just about sending everyone an email with their first name. It\u2019s about creating personable content, too.<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":7882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nPersonable Content Marketing: Delivering a Human Touch - Ceros Inspire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Personalized content is effective, but it's not just about sending everyone an email with their first name. It\u2019s about doing personable content marketing.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/personable-content-marketing-human-touch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Personable Content Marketing: Delivering a Human Touch - Ceros Inspire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Personalized content is effective, but it's not just about sending everyone an email with their first name. It\u2019s about doing personable content marketing.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/personable-content-marketing-human-touch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ceros Inspire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-08T21:24:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-04-21T15:33:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/TemplateHeader-copy.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"557\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Eliza Martin\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/\",\"name\":\"Ceros Inspire\",\"description\":\"Just another Ceros Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/personable-content-marketing-human-touch\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/TemplateHeader-copy.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":557},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/personable-content-marketing-human-touch\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/personable-content-marketing-human-touch\/\",\"name\":\"Personable Content Marketing: Delivering a Human Touch - Ceros Inspire\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/personable-content-marketing-human-touch\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-08T21:24:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-04-21T15:33:20+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/#\/schema\/person\/d4816d142f11de0931d050a980e2d76b\"},\"description\":\"Personalized content is effective, but it's not just about sending everyone an email with their first name. It\\u2019s about doing personable content marketing.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/personable-content-marketing-human-touch\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/#\/schema\/person\/d4816d142f11de0931d050a980e2d76b\",\"name\":\"Eliza Martin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6734f23fdba6fbd0b4379b2861d7ed7f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Eliza Martin\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7873"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7873"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18327,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7873\/revisions\/18327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}